Former NHS boss adds to warnings on finances
The NHS in England faces grave financial problems and politicians are refusing to talk about the situation, according to Sir David Nicholson.
Sir David, who ran NHS England for more than eight years, believes the true extent of the financial black hole will be made "crystal clear" when all the big talk and promises of the election campaign dies down.
The former health chief, who took the reins in 2006 for eight years, believes the financial tasks of cost cutting, frozen pay and hard choices will be even more difficult than the task he faced in 2006. Back then, Sir David faced a £1 billion deficit. But the task is probably even greater now with longer hospital waiting times and an NHS in total disarray.
NHS and social care has been used a lot during the campaign, with all parties brandishing their health care credentials and promising that they are the real party of the NHS.
But Sir David is worried that behind the rampant electioneering, there lies a stark economic truth that no one is discussing. He states that he has "not heard in most of the conversations politicians are having at the moment about what they're going to do about that financial hole."They want to talk about extra services and extra investment when actually there is a problem there to face."
He called for Labour to follow the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats and committing to an extra £8 billion of funding, and said all parties needed to make the funds available immediately not at the end of parliament.
Whoever wins on May 7th, they will face some rather grim choices on an institution that's deeply adored across the country with many analysts saying the NHS needs an injection of money just to continue operating at this level, an even higher injection is needed to make a real positive impact on the NHS.
SU/SKL
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